The eThekwini Municipality is planning to invest in building infrastructure in underdeveloped areas in order to attract investments.

Mayor Cyril Xaba revealed this information on Monday as he tabled the city’s draft budget for the 2025-2026 financial year.

Speaking on matters of economic development and job creation, he said the increased investment in infrastructure will help build a positive investor climate in the city. “Therefore, we are going to use the Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant to create economic infrastructure in undeveloped areas that attracts private sector investment. We are also placing a strong emphasis on strategic township development, town centre renewals, industrial renewals, and upgrading of tourism nodes and corridors,” he said.

The mayor stated that R588 million will be spent on catalytic projects over the MTEF 2025/2026. This includes projects such as Oceans uMhlanga, Brickworks, Ntshongweni / Westown, Giba Business Park, Durban Film City, and Durban Waterfront.

He also mentioned that the 2025/26 budget will fund several job-creation projects with a focus on youth development. This includes:

The Sihlanzimvelo Stream Cleaning Programme, which has created about 840 jobs through 107 cooperatives.
The Zibambele Programme, which has created over 7,300 jobs.
264 cooperatives for grass cutting of verges.
1,607 caretakers employed at ablution facilities.
1,584 plumbers used on a rotational basis.
466 community-based contractors employing 1,398 people.
475 community-based contractors to roll out rural water and sanitation projects.
887 people employed by DSW using the EPWP grant.

“It is through these initiatives that eThekwini continues to be the leading metro in the country on job creation, according to the Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the fourth quarter in 2024. From Q3 to Q4 in 2024, the number of jobs increased by 69,000 new jobs, and from 2023 to 2024, the number of new jobs increased by 102,000.

“The latest Business Confidence Index report also indicates business confidence in the city has improved significantly to above 60%.

“We will continue to work hard to make Durban the premier destination for investment and tourism. However, we are aware that this requires a collective effort. For this reason, we will continue to maintain and grow the relationship we have with our social partners,” he said.

THE MERCURY